Month: October 2008

WRAPUP 1-RUSSIA KUDRIN CALLS FOR CAUTION IN RESERVES USE
By Gleb Bryanski and Dmitry Sergeyev

Reuters
Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:06am EDT

MOSCOW, Oct 21 (Reuters) – Russia must use caution in deploying its
foreign exchange reserves to battle the effects of the global economic
crisis, after spending nearly a tenth of its total in two months,
Finance Minister said on Tuesday. The reserves, the world’s third
largest, are now at $530.6 billion, down $66.9 billion since early
August. The rating agencies have said Russia’s reserves are a key
factor for the country’s investment grade rating,

The call on the cash pile is rising because the country has to support
its currency, fund high budget social spending and finance a $210
billion financial system rescue plan, a challenging task at a time
of declining oil prices.

"The gold and forex reserves have fallen by $50 billion," Finance
Minister Alexei Kudrin told fellow finance ministers from former Soviet
states. "We need to be careful when we use this stabilising influence."

"Gold and forex reserves allow us to guarantee the currency rate
stability," he added.

Reserves have fallen mostly because of heavy interventions by the
central bank over the past months.

The regulator has managed to keep the currency stable versus the
dollar/euro basket at around 30.40.

But as ordinary Russians track their savings through the dollar rate
officials have to intervene almost daily to persuade the population
that the rouble will not weaken. "No rouble devaluation is planned,"
Kudrin’s deputy Sergei Shatalov told reporters in the Armenian
capital of Yerevan, where he was travelling as part of President
Dmitry Medvedev’s delegation.

As the dollar continued its rally versus the euro on global markets,
its rate versus the rouble <RUB=> rose to the highest level since
February 2007 of 26.5 while exchanges rates on the streets were as
high as 28.

Traders said, however, they haven’t seen signs of central bank’s
interventions in the past two days.

BIG DEMAND FOR REFINANCING

The reserves are poised to fall by a total of $74 billion in the
next weeks. Russia has earmarked $50 billion to help its companies
refinance foreign loans, another $6.7 billion to buy local stocks and
$17.3 billion in subordinated loans for the country’s largest banks.

The money will mainly flow via state agent, Development Bank, known
in Russian as VEB, whose head said on Tuesday he had already received
$97 billion in refinancing applications.

Russian companies have borrowed aggressively abroad to fund growth
and acquisitions in the past years and now struggle to refinance
loans as capital markets are shut.

"Banks have applied for twice as much as companies — $64 billion
from the banks and $33 billion from companies," Vladimir Dmitriyev
told reporters adding that the first 10 applications would be cleared
in the near future.

He also said the bank may start investing state funds in the stock
market this week.

Kudrin said the Finance Ministry will withdraw from refinancing banks,
leaving that role to the central bank’s new system of collateral free
loan auctions, which began on Monday.

He also told finance chiefs of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), a loose grouping of ex-Soviet republics, that they
would be affected by a slowdown in Russia’s construction industry,
which employs migrants from all over the region.

"The industry is overheated and will suffer a decline in demand and
many who only just started their projects feel it already," Kudrin
said. (Additional reporting by Denis Dyomkin and Andrei Ostroukh,
Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Victoria Main)

HITTING THE ROAD WITH THE NACO
Steven Mazey

Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Canada

Seven concerts, seven cities, seven different pianos, so little time.

That sums up the challenge that Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker
faces when he hits the road with the National Arts Centre Orchestra
Friday for a 20-day tour of Western Canada.

As part of the orchestra’s $1.25-million tour with conductors Pinchas
Zukerman and James Judd, Parker will perform as soloist in seven of
the 10 evening concerts the orchestra is presenting through British
Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon.

Before the band hits the road, Parker performs Tchaikovsky’s
Piano Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra and Zukerman tonight and
tomorrow. On the tour (Parker’s third with the NACO), he will perform
the Tchaikovsky concerto in some cities and Beethoven’s Concerto
No. 4 in others.

Like Zukerman and orchestra musicians, Parker will also offer master
classes and post-concert talks as part of the more than 130 educational
events the orchestra will present.

Parker, 48, says he has to be careful to allow time each day to get
to know the instrument he’ll be playing. He doesn’t want a repeat of
what happened in Guelph with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in the
mid 1980s. Parker walked out to perform a Prokofiev concerto. He had
not had a chance to try the piano before the concert, though he knew
it was a Steinway. Parker looked down and noticed that the pedals had
been left on the floor, rather than attached to the piano. In front of
the audience, he and conductor Raffi Armenian got down on their hands
and knees to correct the situation, then went ahead with the concert,
which Parker says went fine.

"The biggest single concern for a pianist going on an orchestra
tour is performing on a different piano for every single concert,"
says Parker. On hectic tours he sometimes finds himself wishing he
had chosen a more portable instrument.

"I’m always desperate for piano time. I’m so envious of violinists,
who can get up in their hotel room in the morning, pull out the violin,
make a coffee and practise scales for 15 minutes. I can’t do that so
easily, and it drives me crazy," Parker said recently from Wisconsin,
where he was performing.

"On tour, we often travel on the same day as the concert, so there is a
limited amount of time before the concert that I can actually work at
the piano. Ideally, I like at least a few hours on a concert day, but
on a tour you sometimes don’t get it, so you take what you can get."

Parker says improvement in high-quality electronic keyboards in recent
years has made his life easier when he’s on the road. He sometimes
rents a keyboard from a local music shop. On tours, he asks the
orchestra to provide one he can use in his hotel room.

"I’m grateful to have access to one. I can at least do lots of warming
up on the keyboard if that’s the only alternative," says Parker,
who will perform with the NACO in Prince George, B.C., Whitehorse,
Kamloops, B.C., Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Parker will
give five master classes, and take part in a post-concert talk with
the audience in Prince George.

Parker says he supports the educational work, but had to look
at his schedule to see what he could manage between performances
and preparation for concerts after the tour, including his first
performance of Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1, immediately after the
tour, with the Houston Symphony.

"I haven’t been able to agree to every single educational request,
unfortunately, but I’ve agreed to almost all of them, and I’m looking
forward to it," says Parker, who teaches at the Shepherd School of
Music at Rice University in Houston.

"If I perform in a city and haven’t interacted with music students,
I always feel that a bit more could have been made of that trip. Doing
this with the NACO makes me feel I’m a bit more a part of the musical
community."

Born and raised in Vancouver, Parker studied with teachers who included
his uncle Edward Parker, Kum-Sing Lee at the University of British
Columbia, Marek Jablonski at Banff and Adele Marcus at Juilliard.

"Teaching is very different for me at the age I am now," Parker says.

"I’m approaching 50, and I feel differently about it than I did when
I was 30 and would occasionally give a class and it was a fun chance
to share some of the stuff I had learned in school fairly recently
myself. Now, when I do these classes, and with my position at the
Shepherd School, I feel a real sense of passing on a legacy. My
teachers passed on an era of music-making to me that I can pass
forward, and that feels great."

Parker’s tours with the NACO included a memorable 1988 Canadian
tour when orchestra musicians helped him when he was in the midst of
quitting smoking. Parker says he owes thanks to NACO violinist Mark
Friedman and violist Neal Gripp, who’s now with the Montreal Symphony.

"Mark and Neal would come back to my dressing room and say ‘You don’t
need a cigarette.’ There were moments before and after concerts when I
thought I would break down, and I didn’t. On that tour, it was pretty
much a given that after concerts we would all go out for dinner, and
it was a lot of fun getting to know the musicians. I don’t know if
that will happen so much this time because of all of the educational
stuff. I have the feeling there will be less free time."

But he says he still expects to have fun. "It really is an adventure. I
love the romantic notion of taking music to an audience. I travel
constantly on my own to perform, and when you have a whole orchestra
doing that with you, there is a real sense of being on a mission,"
he says.

"With the smaller cities and venues where there isn’t a lot of music,
it’s particularly important to do this kind of thing."

For Parker, the Tchaikovsky concerto he’s performing in Ottawa and
on tour brings back memories of the less-than-ideal circumstances
for his recording of the piece in the mid-1980s with Andre Previn
and the Royal Philharmonic for the Telarc label.

"Andre Previn had been ill and had to cancel a concert that we had
been scheduled to do before the recording. But quite heroically he
showed up for the recording session. We had literally never rehearsed
or performed the piece. We had one three-hour session to record it. He
looked at me and said ‘what’s your tempo?’ and we started recording.

"I think it’s a good recording, but it’s a slightly safe performance
because I was worried about doing anything too crazy under those
circumstances."

He says his performance has evolved since then.

"At that time, I was going through a period where I wanted the piece
to be even more serious and deep than it is. Now when I play it,
the parts that require that kind of emotional depth, I’m perfectly
comfortable with, but I’m wanting more to show the real virtuoso
sense of the work. That’s a legitimately important part of this piece."

When the orchestra and Parker hit the road, music lovers will be
able to follow the tour’s progress on an NAC website, NACOtour.ca,
that will include a tour blog, audio clips and a photo gallery.

Jon Kimura Parker performs tonight and tomorrow with the NACO and
conductor Pinchas Zukerman.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘I LOVE MIDDLE EASTERN HARMONIES’
David Light, [email protected]

Khaleej Times
21 October 2008
United Arab Emirates

Taleen Kalbian on her passion for music and being opening act for
Christina Aguilera

AS YOU ARE all well aware Christina Aguilera will be performing
at the Emirates Palace on Friday. What you probably don’t know is
that supporting her will be American born singing sensation Taleen
Kalbian. Hailing from Armenian heritage and having lived in the UAE
for a short while when she was seventeen, twenty-one-year-old Taleen
finds her music appeals to US and international audiences alike. Her
debut single, ‘Gotta let it go,’ was released in Dubai in January 2004
and since then she has moved back to the States to further her career.

City Times caught up with Miss Kalbian to check out what she has been
up to and how she feels about coming back to the UAE to perform with
a global superstar.

You’ve lived in Dubai and released a record here, how does it feel
to be returning to the UAE to support Christina Aguilera. Are you
guys friends?

It really feels amazing. Words can’t ever describe how excited
I am to be back in the UAE. Coming back to Abu Dhabi for such an
occasion and opening for an artist that I have had so much respect
for and have looked up to throughout my career is beyond words. I
love how welcoming and supportive the people in UAE are and have
always been to me. My very first invitation was five years ago from
the Abu Dhabi Music Foundation; Mrs. Huda Kanoo was instrumental in
shaping my impressions of Abu Dhabi. It’s going to be great to be
back with family and friends. Being friends and especially working
with Christina and learning from her would be a dream come true. I
look forward to that moment.

Is this the biggest show you will have done?

This is probably one of my biggest shows. I have sung in front of
large crowds my whole life but this is definitely the most significant
because I’m opening up for such a huge star.

Where did your passion for music come from?

My passion for music came from God. Even before I knew how to talk I
was mesmerised by music, singers and performers. I am forever thankful
that my family has supported my passion and opened up my eyes to so
many different types of music growing up.

When did you embark on a singing career? Has this always been a dream?

I began professionally singing at the age of nine. That’s when
I started to take things seriously and really embarking on my
career. I sang at the Washington Opera and from that moment on it
was my undeniable dream to follow a music career.

What has been your proudest memory to date in your career?

My proudest memory was singing for Pope John Paul II. It was amazing
because I was in Bethlehem in Manger Square and Jerusalem, so just
being there in front of such an amazing man and being able to share
my gift with him and the world was a special moment. This Christina
concert will probably be right up there with a favourite experience
as well!

Who are your inspirations?

My inspirations are my father who works so incredibly hard every day
to achieve his goals for the family. My mother, with her unconditional
love and support, Madonna, who has continuously reinvented herself
and been so smart about her career and of course Aretha Franklin who
sings with so much soul and passion that is very inspiring.

How would you describe your music? Does anyone in the charts now have
a similar sound?

My music is fun, fresh, and soulful with a pop sound and very
relatable. I write songs that come from personal experience that I
know a lot of people my age go through. I would compare it to Beyonce
meets Shakira with a touch of Christina.

Does your cultural heritage influence your music in any way? Would
you consider releasing some songs in Arabic?

Absolutely! I have such a Middle Eastern influence in many of my
songs. I love Middle Eastern harmonies and a lot of the instruments
like the tabla, the tar, and the oud. I would love to sing some songs
in Arabic even though my Arabic is not that great!

What do you listen to on a regular basis and who are the artists
you enjoy?

If you looked at my music library you would think I was a crazy
mad woman because I have so many types of music from Metallica to
Andrea Bocelli! I just love all music. Anything that makes me feel,
moving me emotionally and inspires me, I love. I always try to put
different musical influences in my work from different cultures,
especially when I write.

Having lived in the UAE what is your impression of the place?

The UAE is such an astounding place! The co-existence of the desert
and the sea is so very beautiful and deep to me. That reverence and
respect for the elements and the culture can be felt in the people
and how they interact with each other. You have the old and the new,
the old and the young. It all mixes in harmony creating a beautiful
place and a welcoming environment. It’s so exciting! There is never
a dull moment here!

What can the audience expect from your performance?

The audience can expect a very high-energy performance. I’ll be singing
a number of my original songs that hopefully you have been hearing
on the radio, but I am also singing some covers and a surprise song
that I’m sure everyone will recognise and love but I can’t tell you
what it is yet! You will have to come to the show to hear it! I’m
basically going to be pumping everyone up for the main event.

What does a typical day in the life of Taleen involve?

A typical day is running on the treadmill and singing at the same time
for about 40 minutes in the morning, making my breakfast, going to the
gym and working with my trainer. Then going to my vocal lessons with my
amazing coach Stephanie Spruill, working on songs alone or with other
writers and producers, recording some of these songs in the studio,
then dance or acting and then finally I like to take a hot shower sit
on the couch and watch TV with the love of my life, my dog Mish Mish.

What are your career plans for the immediate future?

My plan is to put out my record and go on a world tour. When I think
of my career I think of it globally because my music has a very global
and international message. I would love to just travel to all different
places in the world and share my message, music and God given talent
with people.

Where would you like to be in 10 years?

In 10 years I would love to have a successful music career and
keep writing songs for myself and for other artists. Also, it would
be another of my dreams to settle down and start a family. I love
family and to be able to get married and have children would be such
a blessing.

What do you think you will take from this performance?

This performance will be such a significant and memorable experience
for me. It’s funny because I have always wanted to go to a Christina
Aguilera concert and for some reason or another never was able to,
but I never thought, I would be going to her concert opening for her
in Abu Dhabi, like this! I’m so appreciative to my team, to Flash,
the people of Abu Dhabi who have made this dream possible for me. I
feel so blessed. Thank you.

MEDVEDEV EN ARMENIE, POUR DES ENTRETIENS SUR L’ECONOMIE ET LE KARABAKH

Nouvelles d’Arméni
mardi 21 octobre 2008
France

ARMENIE

Le président russe, Dmitri Medvedev, devait entamer lundi une visite
officielle en Arménie, pour des entretiens sur l’économie et le
conflit dans le Nagorny Karabakh avec cet allié fidèle de la Russie
dans le Caucase, dans le collimateur des Occidentaux depuis la guerre
en Géorgie.

Il s’entretiendra avec son homologue arménien Serge Sarkissian de
la coopération économique et du règlement au Nagorny Karabakh,
province séparatiste azerbaïdjanaise contrôlée par les Arméniens,
a annoncé le Kremlin.

"Les présidents vont discuter de la situation dans le Caucase a la
suite de l’agression du régime géorgien contre l’Ossétie du Sud
et des problèmes internationaux", a dit a la presse une source au
Kremlin, qui a requis l’anonymat.

"La position de la Russie reste inchangée : Moscou a l’intention
d’aider les parties en conflit a chercher des solutions réciproquement
avantageuses", a ajouté cette source.

La visite de M. Medvedev intervient après celles du sous-secrétaire
d’Etat américain pour l’Europe et l’Eurasie, Daniel Fried, et du
représentant de l’Otan dans le Caucase du Sud, Robert Simons.

"L’Arménie poursuivra la coopération avec l’Alliance atlantique
en la considérant comme un élément de la sécurité du pays",
a déclaré lundi M. Sarkissian en recevant M. Simons.

M. Fried a souligné vendredi que le conflit entre la Russie et la
Géorgie avait mis en exergue les dangers des différends non résolus
dans le Caucase.

"Les relations stratégiques (russo-arméniennes) doivent être
revues", Moscou ayant "des questions a l’égard d’Erevan concernant
sa position" dans la crise géorgienne, écrit lundi le quotidien
russe Nezavissimaïa Gazeta.

"Après avoir condamné l’agression de Tbilissi" (contre son territoire
séparatiste de l’Ossétie du Sud) lors d’un sommet régional mené
par la Russie, le président arménien "a soutenu l’intégrité
territoriale de la Géorgie au cours d’une visite a Tbilissi fin
septembre", rappelle le journal.

Le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Sergueï Lavrov, en
visite a Erevan début octobre, "a tenté d’éclaircir la position
arménienne dans ce dossier".

A la suite de cette visite, il a déclaré dans une interview
au quotidien officiel russe Rossiïskaïa Gazeta qu’il était
"dans l’intérêt" de l’Arménie, de facto "isolée" et ayant "des
difficultés a communiquer avec le monde" a cause du conflit au
Karabakh, de débloquer cette situation.

"L’Arménie a connu des difficultés lors de la crise géorgienne
liées au transit de marchandises par la Géorgie (…), ce qui montre
la nécessité absolue d’un règlement urgent", avait-il souligné.

Cette déclaration a servi de "douche froide" aux autorités
arméniennes, selon Nezavissimaïa Gazeta.

Le président azerbaïdjanais, Ilham Aliev, a promis le 13 octobre
de renforcer l’isolement de l’Arménie, tant qu’elle ne renoncera a
l’"occupation" du Nagorny Karabakh.

–Boundary_(ID_x19z667PVdnLNRwviRGNDg)- –

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LA RUSSIE ET L’ARMENIE AFFICHENT UNE AMITE SANS FAILLE

euronews
21/10 13:49 CET
France

Arménie

Dimitri Medvedev est depuis hier a Erevan ou il rencontre son
homologue arménien Serge Sarkissian. Les deux dirigeants vont
parler géostratégie, coopération économique et des derniers
développements de la situation dans le Caucase, notamment Géorgie.

Ce matin, le président russe s’est rendu sur le mémorial du génocide
arménien, puis il a inauguré la toute nouvelle place de la Russie
située au coeur de Erevan, symbole a-t-il dit de l’amitié russo-
arménienne.

Autre sujet délicat au programme, celui de la région du
Nagorny-Karabakh, une province séparatiste située en Azerbaïdjan,
mais contrôlée par les arméniens. C’est un conflit ouvert entre
les deux pays, qui a déja fait plus de 30 000 morts, et la Russie
a plusieurs fois souligné son intention "d’aider les parties en
présence a trouver des solutions, réciproquement avantageuses."

–Boundary_(ID_gQNJm0h8oxIzem b7BlI0Og)–

PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Tel: 01-353010/1/2
01-349230/1

Haigazian University Celebrates the Naming of the "Derian
Armenological Library"

Beirut, 17/10/2008- On Friday, October 13, Haigazian University named
its Armenian Library as the "Derian Armenological Library", in honor of
Mrs. Anahis Derian and her late husband Henry, from Pasadena,
California. They had donated $500,000 to the University, on the
occasion of its 50th anniversary, back in the year 2005.

The ceremony, attended by prominent Armenian officials, intellectuals,
editors, publishers, and friends of the library, opened with the
unveiling of the Henry & Anahis Derian memorial plaque by the President
of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, the
Rev. Megrdich Karagoezian, University President Rev. Dr. Paul
Haidostian, and University Librarian Ms. Sonia Sislian.

Sislian welcomed the audience and gave a brief overview of the Derian
Armenological Library.

"Founded in 1955 by the special efforts of Rev. Dikran Kherlopian, the
Derian Library holds one of the richest collections in the Armenian
Diaspora, including a number of rare books, and a selection of the 18th
and 19th century publications", Sislian said.

She added that the Derian Library constitutes an Armenian research
center, which serves not only students, but many scholars, editors, and
researchers from around the world. "The library also includes the
private collections of prominent Armenian intellectuals, like Siran
Seza, Kersam Aharonian, Dr. Antranig Manouguian, and Krikor Bogharian",
Sislian concluded.

Bibliographer, scholar, and school principal, Mr. Jirair Tanielian
shared with the audience his experience of more than 20 years as the
librarian of the Armenian Library. "Many important delegations,
historians, and prominent Armenian figures passed from here, especially
after the University decided to render the Library public", Tanialian
noted. "At a time of severe political divisions, the Armenian Library
witnessed the regroupment of Armenians of different political parties
and ideologies, something that was impossible to find elsewhere",
Tanielian explained.

In his closing word, President Haidostian expressed his special
gratitude to Mrs. Derian, and noted that while Henry Derian had passed
away a year ago, Mrs. Anahis Derian had sent a kind message apologizing
for not being able to attend the event and that she was in prayer for
the Haigazian University community. Haidostian stated that the ceremony
is the celebration of three inspiring realities:

1. The Derians’ generosity and benevolence that arises out of a
deep Christian spirit;
2. The Derians’ meaningful input to the vibrant Lebanese community;
and,
3. The Derians’ choice of associating their name with what is
Armenian, in this case, the Armenological Library.

Afterwards, the audience enjoyed a tour in the "Derian Armenological
Library", and had a look at its latest acquisitions from Turkey and
Armenia.

The ceremony concluded with cutting a celebratory cake on this special
occasion.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
Url:

PRESS RELEASE

Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]

Schwarzenegger Appointed Armenia Fund Chair to LA Water Board

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, October 16, 2008, California Governor
Schwarzenegger appointed Armenia Fund Chair Maria Mehranian, a longtime
La Canada resident, to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Since 1992, Mehranian has served as Managing Partner/Chief Financial
Officer of Cordoba Corporation, a civil engineering and construction
management firm. Since 2004, Mehranian chairs the Corporate Board of
Armenia Fund, Inc. in a volunteer capacity.

Mehranian is a member of the American Planning Association and
California Hospital Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors. She is
a past member of the La Canada Flintridge Planning Commission, serving
from 2000-2008.

Water supply continues to remain a major challenge in the Los Angeles
region and Southern California. The need for water has always exceeded
the region’s natural supply. With an expected population of 50 million
in the year 2030, the health of citizens, the region, and the economy
once again hinges on the availability of clean water. In this light
water becomes more than an environmental concern, it becomes an issue
that needs to be dealt with on all levels, including the efficient and
innovative use of water to sustain and develop the urban fabric.

As an urban planner working in the field for over 25 years, Mehranian
has come to understand the land use and public policy issues that affect
urban development and intends to offer her expertise to the Los Angeles
Regional Water Quality Control board in an effort to make this important
shift in paradigm.

When asked about her appointment to the board, Mehranian responded, `I
accept this appointment with great humility and I will actively work to
preserve and enhance water quality in the Los Angeles Region for the
benefit of the present and future generations.’

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $190 million in
development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is
the U.S. Western Region affiliate of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. Tax
ID# 95-4485698

Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
617-926-1918
[email protected]

Press Release
October 20, 2008

Contact: 617-347-2833

ANC Responds to Watertown Town Councilor’s Remarks in Boston Globe After
Council President says he is comfortable with ADL assurances

Watertown, MA -The Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts has
asked Watertown Town Council President Clyde Younger to clarify his
remarks in the Boston Globe suggesting that he is `comfortable with
assurances from the Anti-Defamation League’s national leader, Abraham
H. Foxman, that the organization recognizes the Armenian genocide."

In a Sunday, October 19, 2008 article, entitled, `ADL fight appears
over,’ the Boston Globe reported that Younger has had a `change of
heart’ after receiving an October 3 letter from national ADL director
Abraham Foxman.

The ANC letter to Mr. Younger is below.

####

Dear Chairman Younger:

We were shocked to discover in today’s Boston Globe that you now feel
"comfortable with assurances from the Anti-Defamation League’s
national leader, Abraham H. Foxman, that the organization recognizes
the Armenian genocide." And imagine our surprise when we read that
the `ADL fight appears over!’ It was particularly disappointing that
this was the way by which the Armenian community first learned of the
letter you received from Mr. Foxman addressing an alleged change in
the ADL’s policy regarding the Armenian
Genocide. s/globe_west/west/2008/10/adl_statement_o.html

Wo uld you please share this letter with us, as we have not found any
evidence of a new ADL position anywhere in the public arena?

As you agreed at the September 23, 2008 Watertown Town Council
meeting, the ADL’s August 2008 statement, as well as its August 2007
statement, do not qualify as an unambiguous acknowledgement of the
Armenian Genocide.

A careful reading of the ADL’s insincere August 22, 2008 letter, which
was buried deeply on its web site and has since been removed, reveals
that the ADL states only that is has `referred’ to genocide, it is
by no means an unequivocal acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.
Rather, it reads, `ADL has never denied the tragic and painful events
perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, and we have
referred to those massacres and atrocities as genocide.’ Moreover,
this letter provocatively accuses those who are working to end
genocide denial of `demonization.’

This letter apparently refers to the only other public – and now
infamous – ADL statement of August 21, 2007, which read, `the
consequences’ of the Turkish massacres and atrocities were `tantamount
to genocide.’ That statement was clearly not an acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide.

As you know, the ADL carefully crafted its August 2007 statement to
contravene the international legal definition of genocide. The
phrasing circumvents the `intent’ required by the 1948 United Nations
Genocide Convention by suggesting that Armenians died simply as a
`consequence’ of World War I conditions and not from a planned program
of extermination – which just happens to be Turkey’s position.

Judging the August 21, 2007 statement inadequate, Massachusetts cities
and towns, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, human rights
commissions, the Jewish community, and the Armenian community called
on the ADL to issue an unambiguous affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide at its national meeting in early November 2007. The ADL
refused to do so, releasing instead a dismissive one-sentence
statement reaffirming the ADL’s national policy that read, `The
National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today, at its
annual meeting, decided to take no further action on the issue of the
Armenian genocide.’

As you also know, The Massachusetts Municipal Association and 12 of
the 13 Massachusetts communities that dissociated from the ADL’s No
Place for Hate program did so after the ADL’s August 2008 statement,
judging it unacceptable.

The ADL not only has refused to explicitly acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide, but has for several years actively lobbied on behalf of the
Turkish government to deny the Armenian Genocide and to prevent
passage of a Congressional resolution formally recognizing the
Armenian Genocide. It continues to publicly voice opposition to a
Congressional resolution.

Although nation-states have national security and realpolitik
considerations when formulating policy, a human rights organization
simply cannot put politics above universal rights. Yet this is
exactly what the ADL does whenever a human rights issue conflicts with
the perceived interests of the state of Israel.

Mr. Foxman has admitted as much. In an interview with the New Jersey
Jewish Standard, published October 26, 2007, he explained his
reasoning regarding the Armenian Genocide:

`It was also very clear to me that after the United States the most
important ally Israel has is Turkey. It’s a country that not only has
promised to provide Israel with water until moshiach comes, but it’s a
country that permits Israel’s pilots to do maneuvers over its land.
And, so, to me, it was very clear that there are two moral issues, but
one trumps the other. And it was clear to me that I cannot save one
Armenian human being, not one. But if I do what the Armenians want me
to do, I will put in jeopardy the lives of Turkish Jews and Israeli
Jews.’

The ADL continues to engage in other forms of genocide denial as well.
It has, for instance, repeatedly endorsed Turkey’s proposal for a
joint commission of Turkish and Armenian scholars `to investigate what
happened in the past.’

In June 2008, the internationally respected anti-hate group Southern
Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued an extensive intelligence report
documenting Turkey’s campaign of genocide denial
( /article.jsp?aid=935),
and condemned such calls for a `historian’s commission.’ The SPLC
pointed out that `a lie isn’t the other side of any story. It’s just a
lie.’ The report quoted Torben Jorgensen of the Danish Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies as saying, `When it comes to the
historical reality of the Armenian genocide, there is no `Armenian’ or
`Turkish’ side of the question, any more than there is a `Jewish’ or
`German’ side of the historical reality of the Holocaust. There is a
scientific side and an unscientific side – acknowledgement or denial.’

Human rights are universal and they must be respected and protected
for all people. Discrimination against any person or group on the
basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or
disability must never be tolerated. And historical truths must be
upheld.

We would welcome a sincere, unambiguous acknowledgment of the Armenian
Genocide by the Anti-Defamation League. Rather, what we have observed
is an organization engaged in a double game: issuing disingenuous
statements that do not actually recognize the Armenian Genocide but
are crafted in such a way as to mislead the public, while continuing
to engage in genocide denial by promoting Turkey’s agenda with regard
to a historical commission and Congressional recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you at your
earliest convenience.

Sincerely,
Sharistan Melkonian
Armenian National Committee of Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472

ROLAND KATHER: ARMENIA, WELCOME TO PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE FAMILY

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.10.2008 13:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The exercise held in Armenia in the framework of
Partnership for Peace program showed that Armenia is prepared to join
this family, lieutenant general Roland Kather, Commander Allied Land
Component Command Headquarters Heidelberg said after the final stage
of Cooperative Longbow/Lancer 2008.

"This exercise signaled commitment to peace and stability in the
region. Armenia is welcomed to Partnership for Peace family," he said,
adding that the Armenian government and the republic’s Defense Ministry
spared no effort to conduct the exercise up to the mark.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN MUSICAL COMPANY CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Panorama.am
18:30 18/10/2008

This year "Armenian Musical Company" celebrates its 50th
anniversary. On October 23 classical music concerts will start devoted
to the 50th anniversary of the company.

The ensemble of violinists of musical specialized school named after
P. Chaikovski in Yerevan and chamber music band of Conservatory named
after Komitas and "Komitas" chorus will take part in the concerts.

Note that Armenian Chorus Company is a union of non-governmental
organizations, which units the masters of chorus art of Armenia.

"Armenian Musical Company" has been established in 1958, in Yerevan. It
is aimed to contribute to the development of chorus groups, to spread
the musical literature of pure Armenian chorus groups, etc.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress